Chester is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is a small and jumpy Jack Russell terrier with yellow fur and brown, perky ears.
The character starred in only two shorts, both directed by animator Friz Freleng and having the same concept. Each of these two cartoons have a repeated formula: Chester, who idolizes the brutish gangster bulldog Hector (called Spike in "Tree for Two" and Alf in "Dr. Jerkyl's Hide") for being "big and strong" in comparison to him whom is "so puny", constantly fawns over Hector and follows everywhere he goes much to the latter's annoyance, and Hector turns down all of Chester's ideas of fun except for beating up a cat who turns out to be none other than Sylvester. As soon as Hector and Chester chase Sylvester, Hector runs afoul into aggressive feline "monsters" who prove to be far more dangerous than Hector himself, which ultimately results Hector getting pummeled heavily by the "monsters" which Chester remains oblivious to, and when Hector cowers in fear from the beatings he received, Chester fails to understand what Hector has gone through and just bluntly dismisses Hector as a coward.
The first of these cartoon films was 1952's "Tree for Two". In it, Chester tells his idol Spike that he knows of a cat that they can beat up. The cat is Freleng's own Sylvester, but every time Spike thinks he has the cat cornered, a runaway zoo black panther appears in Sylvester's place, thrashing the dog instead. When Chester decides to have a go of it, however, Sylvester finds himself at the little dog's mercy. By the cartoon's end, Spike and Chester have switched roles; Spike is the fawning sycophant, and Chester the smug prizefighter.
The character's second outing came in the 1954 film "Dr. Jerkyl's Hide". Alf is after Sylvester, only this time it is Sylvester himself who pummels the poor pooch, thanks to a potion that transforms him into a feline monster. Chester, of course, never sees this transformed Sylvester, thinking his buddy is being beaten by the tiny tomcat. The final loss of face for Alf is his being thrashed by a fly that has also been affected by the potion, as it occurs in front of Chester's eyes. Alf and Chester have switched roles at the end; Alf is the fawning sycophant, and Chester the smug prizefighter.
In both of these cartoons, Chester's voice is performed by Stan Freberg.
In 1988, a live-action version of Chester appeared in a commercial for Kibbles 'n Bits, portrayed by a real terrier.[1]
Chester's cameo in Looney Tunes Back in Action
He also had a cameo in Space Jam as a doctor, taking in a flattened Stan Podolak to the hospital. He also have a cameo in Looney Tunes Back in Action playing poker with Hector, Charlie Dog, Ham and Ex, Barnyard Dawg and the Russian Dog at the casino.
He also appeared in Sega 1993 video game Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers in the fourth level as a silhouette in the window.
He makes a cameo in the Looney Tunes Cartoons short "Boarding Games" as one of the dogs at the kennel Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot are staying at.
Chester appeared in Bugs Bunny Builders alongside Hector in the episode "Game Time", where they run a burger restaurant.[2]
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